Thai Crime: A NewCommitte To Investigate Red Bull Boss

A seven-member committee has been set up to behavior a serious disciplinary investigation of former deputy lawyer commonplace Nate Naksuk’s selection to drop a cost of reckless riding inflicting dying in opposition to Red Bull scion Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya.
The Public Prosecutors Commission (PCC) on Sept 21 appointed Thanapit Munphruek, former chief of the Department of Special Litigation beneath the Office of the Attorney General, to head the inquiry.
Another six individuals had been appointed at a PCC assembly recently

• Chatipong Jeerapan, deputy attorney general (ex-officio member of the PCC);
• Chaowalit Wongsanoraseth, acting inspector-general;
• Suwich Chutrakul, acting director-general of the Prosecution Office Region 7;
• Anucha Wattanapa, acting deputy director-general of the Office of the Public Prosecutors Commission;
• Pol Maj Santi Murichan, a prosecutor attached to the Office of the Attorney General; and
• Mankiat Thanawichitpan, an inspector-general.
• Pachara stated all seven participants of the committee have been skilled investigators.
  He believed the serious disciplinary investigation of Mr. Nate, who dropped a reckless riding cost towards Vorayuth, would be finished in 60 days. The investigation ought to be prolonged twice, however now not exceeding a hundred and eighty days in total.
  Mr. Pachara stated the PCC needs the investigation prolonged to additionally cowl a prosecutor who may have been worried about altering the mentioned velocity of the automobile pushed by means of Mr. Vorayuth.
  In the early morning of Sept 3, 2012, Mr. Vorayuth’s black Ferrari crashed into the rear of the bike-ridden by using Pol Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert on Sukhumvit Road. The policeman used to be killed and his physique used to be dragged a long distance down the road.
  The statute of obstacles on the cost of reckless riding inflicting dying is 15 years, and the case will expire on Sept 3, 2027.

Thailand Will Soon End The Use Of The Sinovac Vaccine

Thailand will end the usage of the Covid-19 vaccine of China’s Sinovac when its modern-day inventory finishes, a senior Public Health Ministry reputable stated on Monday, having used the shot appreciably in aggregate with Western-developed vaccines.
Thailand used over 31.5 million Sinovac doses when you consider that February, beginning with two doses to frontline workers, high-risk groups, and residents of Phuket, the excursion island that reopened to vacationers in July in a pilot scheme.
In July, Thailand commenced inoculating human beings with Sinovac as a first dose accompanied by using the Oxford University-developed AstraZene”We anticipate to have disbursed all Sinovac doses this week,” stated Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, the Department of Disease Control director-general, including the software will change to combining the AstraZeneca vaccine with that made with the aid of Pfizer and BioNTech.
Thailand subsequent yr plans to purchase a hundred and twenty million Covid-19 vaccine doses incomplete and has already booked 60 million doses of AstraZeneca, a vaccine it manufactures locally.
Thailand has stated it will solely procure vaccines high-quality in opposition to new variants.ca. Thailand was once the first us of to mix Chinese and Western shots, an approach its fitness officers stated has proved effective.
It has so a ways vaccinated 36% of the estimated seventy-two million humans who stay in Thailand and hopes to attain 70% through year-end.
U. s . is forging in advance with a quarantine-free reopening format subsequent month of 17 provinces to vaccinated arrivals from low-risk countries. Included will be locations like Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, and Bangkok.
Thailand has recorded almost 1.8 million instances and 18,336 fatalities overall, greater than 98% in the past seven months.

Myanmar’s Next School Term Is Going To Be Messy

The army council is reportedly planning to reopen primary, center, and excessive colleges as early as November in spite of persisted threats of Covid-19 and ongoing instructor strikes and scholar boycotts in accordance with the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) aimed at toppling the junta.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most colleges had been already closed at the time of Myanmar’s February 1 navy coup. The junta tried to reopen them nationwide on June 1, the beginning of Myanmar’s educational year, however extra than half of the country’s 400,000 instructors have been on strike and simply 10 percent of the estimated 9 million college students nationwide opted to enroll. More than a hundred placing instructors have additionally been charged beneath the Penal Code’s Section 505a for incitement, in accordance with the Myanmar Teachers’ Federation.
Those faculties that did reopen in June have later closed once more on July 9 when the 1/3 wave of the pandemic hit the country.
However, a picture of a navy council note in Ayeyarwady Region’s Yegyi Township has these days long past viral online instructing the township schooling officer to put together the colleges to reopen in November.
While a professional date for reopening has now not been announced, the junta’s records group alluded on Wednesday that such a tournament used to be coming near however had been obstructed via anti-coup entities.
They accused “political extremist participants and supporters” of the National League for Democracy, the National Unity Government and the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw of committing arson in schools, inciting violence, and threatening schooling team of workers into becoming a member of the CDM “while officers made preparations for the reopening of schools.”
A spokesperson from the strike committee of a union for simple training staff—and a hanging instructor himself—said his team is in opposition to any pass through the army to reopen colleges and brush aside it as a strive by way of the generals to normalize army administration.
As the people’s resistance struggle in opposition to the army and the “revolutionary momentum” continues to attain strength, he stated that neither he nor his colleagues may want to ruin away from the movement.
“It is simply not possible for us to end up non-CDM [staff] once more due to the fact we have stayed sturdy even below their rigorous oppression. In this contemporary situation, we don’t care if they reopen schools—we will proceed our resistance,” he said.
Presumably, in connection with the reopening of schools, the navy council additionally declared in its newspaper on Wednesday that it used to be launching a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination software thru October 25 for college students over the age of 12 the use of the Chinese-manufactured Sinovac. However, they furnished small print solely for how these vaccines would be administered in the capital, Naypyitaw.
Education workforce throughout us of an established to Myanmar Now that they had been informed the equal announcement with the aid of neighborhood junta authorities that the faculty would open following the vaccination scheme.
Vaccination prices are low amongst adults, with quotes unknown without for facts launched via the junta’s fitness branch on Tuesday suggesting that simply 4.2 million of Myanmar’s extra than 50 million humans have obtained two doses of any jab.
Khant Lu Aung, the father of an excessive college scholar from Mandalay who would be eligible for re-enrolment and vaccination, stated he did no longer ship his son again to college after the army seized energy and would proceed to hold him out of the junta’s schooling system.
“Under a dictatorship, I am now not fascinated in whether or not the faculties open or close. Even if they are without a doubt going to reopen, I won’t let my youngster go there. Under their rule, whether or not it is healthcare or education, nothing is reliable,” Khant Lu Aung informed Myanmar Now.
Nilar Win, a principal college instructor taking phase in the CDM who selected now not to disclose her place for safety reasons, advised Myanmar Now she was once worried about the security of maybe bringing college students lower back to faculty subsequent month, given the fitness disaster and the ongoing instability in the country.
“It is very questionable that they are reopening colleges for the children’s well-being,” she said, including that the junta has even talked to instructors about “squeezing two college years into one” to make up for gaining knowledge of time misplaced all through the pandemic.
Teaching modules are commonly divided into 36 weeks of lessons, she explained, including that no data had been shared with instructors about the upcoming curriculum.
Khant Lu Aung advised Myanmar Now that he had organized for his infant to learn about some educational topics online in the course of the cutting-edge faculty 12 months however that he did no longer have a long-term sketch for their schooling amid the unrest.
Myanmar Now tried to contact the govt director of the junta’s schooling branch Ko Lay Win to remark on the deliberate reopening of schools, however, the calls went unanswered.

Thai Crime: A Thai Man Wrapped In Cable May Have Been Murdered

A web repairman in Bang Lamung had a morbid shock when he was once repairing net cables in the nighttime and noticed a man standing with the aid of a tree. He is known as out to him in the dark, however, the man did now not reply. When he approached the nonetheless man, he found to his horror that the parent he noticed used to be that of a lifeless man slumped in opposition to the tree, tangled in cables.
The incident took location on Friday close to Number 36 Road in Bang Lamung in a tree-filled vicinity the man used to be tasked with traveling to restoration the net wires. He found the physique and used to be taken aback however known as the Nonprue Police around 7 pm Friday evening.
The police arrived on the scene and observed the man putting upright between two trees, wrapped in cables. They stated there used to be no signal of any kind of disagreement or conflict implying a 2d man or woman used to be concerned about the death.
The man used to be recognized as a 53-year-old man and a bike that is believed to belong to the deceased man was once discovered nearby. One clue police uncovered to what might also have taken place was once a pair of white cutters determined nonetheless striking from some high-voltage energy cables close to the man’s body.
The motive of demise has now not been completely decided however police say that the most possible reason for dying used to be both suicide or an unintentional demise when he tried to reduce the energy cables, perhaps to steal them and possibly wondering it used to be the web lines, no longer high-voltage unsafe wires.

New Poll Says People Are Not Ready For Reopening

A new poll from Suan Dusit Rajabhat University expresses the majority opinion that Thailand is not ready for a reopening to international tourism. The Suan Dusit Poll was conducted from October 11 to 14 with 1,329 people from all over Thailand responding online.
The poll was conducted to gauge the people of Thailand’s feelings about PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announcing that the country would undertake a large reopening on November 1, less than 2 weeks from now.
When the poll administers asked respondents the more vague question of if Thailand is ready to reopen to international travelers without any quarantine requirement, and when asked the more specific question of if November 1 was the right date to commence this reopening, the answer was nearly identical.
For both questions, 60% of the poll respondents said no and 40% said yes, indicating that the majority of Thai people don’t think November 1 is the right time to reopen and further believe that the country is just not ready for a reopening.
Some key questions and answers from the Dusit Poll on reopening:

WHAT ARE THE NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR REOPENING?

75% – more than 70% of the population needs to be vaccinated with quality vaccines
69% – the ability to contain the pandemic
68% – health services, hospitals, and medical personnel must be ready
66% – mandatory testing of people before entering places
65% – confidence in safety in airports, public transport, restaurants, and hotels
WHAT ARE UNFAVORABLE CONDITIONS AGAINST REOPENING?

72% – Thai population has not yet been fully vaccinated
70% – Covid-19 could spread further in the country
66% – tourists could bring in the virus
61% – worry over new variants
56% – no clear plans if Covid-19 spreads
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF REOPENING?

77% – revival of the economy
75% – the return of employment and salaries
68% – national income from tourism
64% – revival of tourism-related businesses
58% – restore confidence in Thailand for investors and business operators
WHAT ARE THE UNFAVORABLE EFFECTS OF REOPENING?

83% – Covid-19 infections might again rise
75% – lockdown could be reinstated
60% – health services might not be prepared
55% – illegal border crossings might increase
48% – people’s living conditions might be affected

Myanmar Military LeadeNot Be Allowed To Attend ASEAN Summit

The head of Myanmar’s military junta will be excluded from an upcoming Asean summit, the group said on Saturday, a rare rebuke as concerns rise over the military government’s commitment to defusing a bloody crisis.
Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed at an emergency meeting late Friday that Min Aung Hlaing would not be invited to the leaders’ meeting on Oct 26-28, the current Asean chair Brunei said.
The bloc, widely considered a toothless organisation for its rigid devotion to “non-interference” in each other’s internal affairs, took a strong stand after the junta rebuffed requests for a special envoy to meet with all parties concerned — a phrase seen to include ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The statement noted “insufficient progress” in the implementation of a five-point plan agreed by ASEAN leaders in April to end turmoil following a coup in February.
Some member states recommended giving “space to Myanmar to restore its internal affairs and return to normalcy”.
It was decided “to invite a non-political representative from Myanmar” to the summit, “while noting the reservations from the Myanmar representative”, the statement said.
Mustafa Izzuddin, a global affairs analyst at the consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore, called the exclusion “a political stopgap measure for Asean to assuage international criticism”.
“Second, it ensures its regional reputation as an organization that can still play an active role in Southeast Asian affairs,” he told AFP.
Izzuddin also said the move sent a “political signal” to the junta “that ASEAN is not one to be pushed around, and that Myanmar must show its seriousness and its commitment to roll out the five-point plan”.
Myanmar, mostly ruled by the military since a 1962 coup, has been a thorn in Asean’s side since it joined in 1997.
Elections in 2015 won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party ushered in the start of civilian rule — but this was cut short by the coup.
ASEAN has been under international pressure to address unrest that erupted after the putsch, including massive protests; renewed clashes between the military and ethnic rebel armies in border regions; and an economy spiraling into freefall.
The bloc has expressed disappointment at a lack of cooperation from the junta, which continues to crack down brutally on dissent. More than 1,000 civilians have been killed, according to a local monitoring group.
Part of the consensus was to allow a long-delayed visit by a special envoy, Brunei’s Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof.
ASEAN has insisted that he meets with all parties concerned, but the junta rejected any proposed meetings with people on trial, among them Aung San Suu Kyi, who is facing charges including sedition and flouting coronavirus restrictions during last year’s polls.
Member nations had already voiced their disappointment at the path the junta has chosen.

Thai Crime:A New Bill Will Change How Thailand Will Do Drug Sentences

A new bill that will give drug convicts the chance to reduce their jail terms is set to become law, according to the Department of Corrections.
Ayut Sinthoppan, director-general of the department,, revealed that the bill, which seeks to amend the Act on Promulgating the Narcotics Code, has been passed by parliament.
The bill was submitted by the Justice Ministry, he said. Mr. Ayut said the amendments focus on efforts to bring drug trafficking masterminds to justice and confiscate their assets to stifle the financial lifelines of drug cartels.
“Under the bill, penalties will be revised so that offenses related to the production, import, export, drug possession, and drug abuse are proportionate to the severity of the crime.”
“When officials consider punishing offenders, they will give more weight to the actions committed by suspects rather than relying mainly on assumptions,” Ayut noted. “In some cases, penalties will be reduced which will benefit offenders.”
The bill will also allow drug convicts who were previously given penalties more severe than those under the new law to petition the courts to revise their sentences, he said.
The new version of the narcotics code will take effect 30 days after the bill is enacted, he said.
He also said that Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin met executives of the courts of justice, prosecutors, and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board to discuss how to enforce the new narcotics code
The Office of the Judiciary has also asked the Department of Corrections to inform drug inmates about the new narcotics code and help them petition the courts,Ayat said.
He said the department will discuss preparations to release drug prisoners when the new law comes into effect.
“The new law is an important tool to prevent and crack down on drug trafficking,” Ayut said.
According to the department, there were some 289,332 prisoners nationwide, of whom 237,763 are drug convict

Domestic Flights Are Back To Normal

Domestic flights have resumed running at the complete potential in step with the state-of-the-art easing of Covid-19 regulations which took impact a.ck
Suttipong Kongpool, director-preferred of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), stated the revised tips for airways running home flights have lifted potential limits on home flights.
The variety of passengers turned into formerly constrained to 75% of the whole potential
Under the brand new tips which took impact yesterday, airways also can perform greater flights however need to follow the middle of the night curfew which has been shortened with the aid of using hours from eleven pm to three am.
He stated the revisions are in step with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s selection to loosen up the virus curbs. The airways are nevertheless required to enforce in-flight Covid-19 prevention measures, he stated.
Meanwhile, the public fitness government will maintain talks with diverse corporations withinside the delivery and tourism sectors to exercise session similarly information in advance of the Nov 1 reopening scheme, stated a senior public fitness official.
Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, director-preferred of the Department of Disease Control, stated enterprise operators in 15 provinces wherein completely vaccinated overseas vacationers from low-threat international locations can go to without quarantine need to have sufficient time to prepare.
More than 20 international locations were proposed as low-threat however the listing has but to be finalized, he stated.
When pronouncing the reopening plan to restart the tourism enterprise final week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated there could be as a minimum 10 “low threat” international locations, which includes Singapore, Germany, China, and the US.
Dr. Opas stated there are 4 essential Covid-19 prevention measures for corporations to observe.
They are vaccination, regular protection, the adoption of secure environments, and rigorous screening in particular in high-threat institutions along with air-conditioned restaurants.
“An assembly might be held subsequent week with numerous corporations and enterprise operators. We may have greater information with the aid of using them. But with the measures being taken we trust the operators might be ready [for reopening].”
As for worldwide vacationers getting back from low-threat international locations, he stated they may go through Covid-19 assessments upon arrival and watch for consequences at SHA Plus or ASQ inns earlier than they are able to experience the relaxation in their holiday.

Thai Crime: Tak transgender Was Arrested For Doing LINE Sex Shows

A transgender woman was arrested in Tak province, accused of selling access to live stream sex shows via a group chat on the LINE app. The 30-year-old woman known as Nong Phrai was tracked down and arrested by the Crime Suppression Division in her hometown after the Wang Thong Lang Police in Bangkok also issued a warrant for her arrest on similar charges.
Authorities say they were responding to a complaint regarding a website promoting a group on the LINE app with a 700 baht subscription rate to watch sex shows, including sex videos and live sex shows at various locations. The Criminal Court issued a warrant regarding the sex streams for the transgender woman on August 2 for the charges of producing pornography and putting that porn on computer systems for distribution or commercial purposes, along with similar related charges
Investigators identified the woman and tracked her down to her home town in Sam Ngao District of Tak where she was picked up walking along a dirt road. The transgender woman is reported to have admitted to the crimes and said that she made the live streaming sex videos featured in the LINE group with her boyfriend.
She said that the couple started making live sex shows and sharing them via the LINE app sometime last year and that many people had subscribed to their group. An exact figure was not disclosed for how many members the LINE group had or how much money the couple made with their sex shows.
After the transgender woman’s arrest by the Crime Suppression Division for streaming the live sex shows, she will be handed over to the Wang Thong Lang Police to face prosecution

Thailand Wants To Celebrate Reopening In Style

Thailand is planning on throwing a massive extravaganza to celebrate the country’s reopening. The Tourism and Sports Ministry is planning on hosting concerts in Bangkok and Phuket, with a budget of 500-600 million baht. The concerts will feature famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and Thai K-pop singer Lisa Monaban. Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says bringing the 2 artists to the country is beyond economic value.
“Particularly Lalisa ‘Lisa’ Monaban, the young Thai K-pop singer, who is a huge inspiration for the youth of the country.
He also confirmed that Lalisa Monaban will be singing in Phuket at the Sarasin Bridge, while Andrea Bocelli will be performing in Bangkok at the Sanam Luang public square. The government and private sector are co-sponsoring the event by spending 200 million baht. The rest of the funding is from private sponsors. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has requested for the artists to perform as part of a New Year’s celebration, and is waiting to hear back from the artists’ agents. But Piphat says Covid-19 protocols must also be taken into account.
“We also need to discuss with the Public Health Ministry the number of audience members allowed and other health and safety protocols for such big events when we are still battling an outbreak.”
The CCSA has recently announced that vaccinated visitors from certain countries could enter the country without undergoing a quarantine, starting November 1. These visitors will also be allowed to travel wherever they want, instead of being restricted to certain parts of the country. Additionally, Bangkok has approved a plan to allow business events with 500 participants or fewer.
The president of the Thai Spa Association and head of the Hua Hin Recharge programme, Krod Rojanastien has high hopes for the reopening plan. He says that opening up Hua Hin to international travelers will double the city’s occupancy rates, from 20% to 40%.
Krod says that official timelines should be published to make it easier to plan for both tourists and tourism operators alike. He also said that guests are waiting for these official announcements to be made before making plans to come.